Prize(s) Winners in Bar and Restaurant Lighting Design
Lighting Design/Product Company Ark Lighting
Lead Designers Adam Johnson & Daisy Metcalfe
Other Designer's names COOOP.Co Design Agency - Callie van der Merwe & Roberto Zambri
Architecture Company COOOP.Co Design Agency
Interior Design Company COOOP.Co Design Agency
Client Meat & Wine Co., Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group
Photo Credits Photography courtesy of the Meat & Wine co., Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group
Other Credits Franchise Fitout Group
Completion Date 8 September 2023 (Opening)
Project Location Sydney, Australia
Entry DescriptionMeat & Wine Co., African Queen is a restaurant defined by intimacy, richness in detail and theatre –set in an Art Deco former bank. Designed by COOOP.Co, the concept harmoniously blends the prosperity of Australia’s gold rush era with the diverse culture of Africa, taking inspiration from the Golden Rhinoceros of Mapungubwe. The result is a space that feels both luxurious and welcoming, with richness in both story and materiality.
Lighting was imperative to shaping this atmosphere. With a low ceiling and textured finishes, it was used to enhance intimacy and define character. Warm pools from carefully placed custom-designed Snoop spotlights highlight each table, key artworks are illuminated to draw the eye, while shadows and contrast bring depth and sophistication. Feature moments like the Lyss Mini in the brass arch and the Calypso pendant introduce drama, welcoming guests with a sense of occasion and guiding the experience from arrival to dining.
Concealed ambient layers soften the space, ensuring coherence across the palette of marble, gold, velvet, and leather. Integrated with precision, the lighting doesn’t sit on top of the design but feels part of it—supporting COOOP.Co’s architectural intent while enhancing mood, detail and storytelling.
The outcome is lighting that feels natural yet intentional, celebrating craft and creating a restaurant that continues to captivate.
Sustainability ApproachWith Ark Lighting as one of Australia’s first B Corp™ Certified lighting companies, sustainability was embedded into every stage. The scheme is fully LED-based, with high-efficacy modules chosen for warmth, clarity, and efficiency. Scene controls optimise consumption across service modes— lower in evening dining, higher for cleaning and reset— ensuring energy is never wasted.
Longevity was prioritised through modular construction, allowing components to be repaired or reused. Adhesives were avoided to support circularity, and Ark Lighting’s Refurbishment Program extends product life while keeping materials in circulation.
By integrating fittings into joinery, arches and architectural details, excess fixtures were avoided, reducing material use and maintaining coherence with the design intent. The outcome is lighting that elevates atmosphere while reducing long-term environmental impact.
Company DescriptionArk Lighting are lighting designers and suppliers, dedicated to showing brands in the best light. We’ve been illuminating spaces for over 30 years. The understand the power lighting can have on an experience, space, human behaviour and health. They get excited about the technical, finding the latest innovation and bringing to life a design brief and vision through lighting. Importantly, at the heart of our reason for being, is to have a positive impact on the world through sustainable design and ways of working - Ark Lighting are a proud B Corp.
